PeopleForBikes is Hosting a CityBuilders Symposium in Copenhagen, Denmark

How do we build better cities? How can we design our urban landscape to best suit the needs of its residents, and redesign our urban systems to facilitate the health and well-being of everyone who plays a part in them? These are some of the big questions of our day. As more people around the world move into cities, the need to make urban spaces into healthy, vibrant, and livable places is more pressing than ever.

To emphasize the potential role of the bicycle in building stronger cities, PeopleForBikes is leading an immersive study tour in Copenhagen, Denmark from June 6-11, 2016. The CityBuilders Symposium is designed for delegations of local leaders interested in catalyzing change to build better cities, and is now open for all US cities and communities to participate.

“This intensive seminar emphasizes the role of the bike as a tool for city improvement, not as a goal in and of itself,” said Martha Roskowski, VP of Local Innovation at PeopleForBikes in a press release. “Delegates return home with a clearer vision, more inspiration and better tools to speed the implementation of current projects and create more robust long-term strategies.”

The Symposium combines meetings with Danish officials and transportation experts, hands-on site visits by bike, and facilitated strategy sessions on how to implement the best ideas back home. In the inspiring Danish capital, delegations will be part of five days of engaged discussion about transforming US streets. They will learn from global best practices while having the opportunity to bounce ideas off of their US peers, developing an international vision for human-scale cities using the bicycle as a tool for change. Mayors, traffic engineers, social justice advocates or economic development staff are just a few of the potential participants in this unique opportunity.

“Participants come home with a whole new vision on how multi-modal cities can work and the role of bikes in building that city,” said Roskowski. “They will also develop a peer support system to help them turn inspiration into action when they get back home.”

While the symposium was previously by invitation only, it is now open to any US cities or communities wishing to participate. Applications for the limited number of spaces are now being accepted, and the $5,000 per person registration fee includes all on-the-ground expenses, including hotel, meals, local transportation, bike rental, expert speaker fees and guides.